#Japan #Wakayama #Housing Survey #Happiness Ranking

2025 Happiness and Lovability Rankings in Wakayama

In an expansive survey on residential satisfaction, Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. has released the Happiness Index and Desirability Rankings for towns in Wakayama for 2025. This year's study is notable, as it marks the largest survey of its kind, capturing opinions from over 6,000 residents.

Key Highlights from the Happiness Ranking

For the third consecutive year, Hidaka-gun Hidaka-cho has secured the top spot in the Happiness Index, achieving an impressive deviation value in the 70s. Nishi-Muro-gun Kamitonda-cho ranks second again this year, and Hidaka-gun Mihama-cho climbs to third place from eighth last year. The impressive aspect of this year's results is that five of the top 10 towns belong to the Hidaka-gun district, a testament to the area's high living quality.

• - 1st Place: Hidaka-gun Hidaka-cho
• - 2nd Place: Nishi-Muro-gun Kamitonda-cho
• - 3rd Place: Hidaka-gun Mihama-cho

For context, towns must have a minimum of 50 respondents to be included in the rankings. If not, data from previous years (2019 and 2020) is used.

The calculation of the happiness score derives from responses to the question, "Are you overall happy or unhappy?" Respondents rate their feelings on a scale from 1 (very unhappy) to 10 (very happy), and average scores are multiplied by ten to create a 100-point scale for the rankings.

Key Insights from the Desirability Ranking

Similarly, Katsuragi-cho, located in the Ito-gun, retains its title as the most desirable town to live in, backed by the highest deviation score in the 70s for two consecutive years. Kinokawa City has moved up from last year’s third to the second spot, and Hidaka-gun Hidaka-cho remains in third place.

• - 1st Place: Katsuragi-cho
• - 2nd Place: Kinokawa City
• - 3rd Place: Hidaka-gun Hidaka-cho

Emerging for the first time in the top 10 is Hidaka-gun Inami-cho, alongside Arida-gun Yuasa-cho, which also broke through despite not meeting the requirement the previous year.

The Research Overview

The survey conducted from February 21 to March 10, 2025, involved 1,389 respondents aged 20 and above from Wakayama prefecture. Females made up 51% of participants, ensuring gender balance. Among these, the married individuals were 62.3%, and the demographic breakdown included various age ranges, ensuring a diverse representation across generations.

This extensive analysis provides insights not only into which areas score high in happiness and desirability but also why residents feel connected to their communities. Furthermore, several towns demonstrated a strong sense of local pride, with Shingu City ranking third in residents' pride in their town.

For further details and the full report, please visit the links to the Happiness and Lovability Rankings. Grouping this underlines the vital statistics that showcase community contentment and the unique attributes that contribute to living satisfaction across Wakayama prefecture.